IS: Codename: Seven Swords
by awesomejason7777
Summary: A Middle Eastern girl is sent to the Is Academy by the Arabian government, not only as a student but also to test their new prototype. Her parents were killed during a terrorist attack and she seeks to avenge them. This is set in an alternate universe. Set after the events of season 2 of the anime.
1. Chapter 1

I think that this one could be fun, and if you guys really like it then I'll try to make more. Luckily it isn't my first one so now I kinda know how to write.

 _How… did I get here?_ Was the thought of a just awoken Middle Eastern girl in an infirmary. She touched her forehead and felt a bandage wrapped around it. The part that was on the back of her head was damp with blood. She looked around the room without raising her head. She found it extremely difficult to move her left arm that was under the covers but it was across her chest. She knew the feeling. A broken arm all wrapped up.

Her bed had white sheets and there was a curtain pulled around her bed for privacy. Very close to the bed, there was a black haired teenage boy asleep in a chair. He was wearing a white uniform with red trim. _That uniform… IS Academy. Then does that mean…_ The boy stirred, then woke up and looked at her with tired eyes. He opened his mouth and spoke with a gentle voice and smile. "You're awake now. Welcome to the IS Academy."

The Previous Day

Government Facility, Arabia

"You've been chosen as our representative contender. You're still young enough to be in school. So how's your Japanese?" An official was speaking to her. They were in a private room and she was the only one in a chair. He stood over her, as her guardian. He had been, ever since her parents left her when she was just 6 and he took her in. They died during a terrorist attack, caused by a rogue IS pilot.

"It's fine." She bluntly replied. "Don't they speak English there?"

"Just in case you get lost. But I'll escort you there so that shouldn't be a problem. Lilith Arcadia, are you sure you want to go there? Long way from home."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Don't forget that we are trusting you with our prototype IS. Its potential is higher than everything else we have here."

She had devoted her life to becoming an IS pilot ever since she got over their deaths. Lilith wasn't in the building when her parents died. An entire mall fell when the attack happened. The medics brought the bodies out and she was asked to identify the ones she knew. Her whole body trembled when she saw their disfigured bodies. Lilith had anxiety and PTSD that could spring up any time.

"You remember your meds?" The father inside of him was showing.

"Yeah, I got them. Don't worry about me."

"Don't forget about the prescription for them. And I can't help worrying about you. You know that."

She stood up from her chair with a smile and hugged him. He wasn't too much taller than her. "I'll be fine. It's just… school far from home."

"I know you'll do great. I'll be there until I'm sure you're safe. You're growing up so fast and all I've really done is just make sure you grow up right." He planted a small kiss on her forehead. "We're taking a plane to the city, then the train to the school. Pack your bags when you get home."

In that day, they took the plane to Japan and a taxi to the city that the IS Academy had a monorail to as its only way to get there. Her guardian let her run around and buy things that she wanted, after all, she wasn't going to see him for a long time. Her wardrobe also needed to be updated since she looked extremely out of place in Japan. She found a medium blue scarf that she liked, bought it and gave the bag to her guardian.

They were walking together in between stores when Lilith spotted two people in particular. They were wearing the IS Academy uniform but one of them was a male. The other was female with two black ponytails. Lilith recognized him as Ichika Orimura, the only male IS pilot but he was walking away with the girl. She didn't know who the girl was but was obviously another student. They rounded the corner just as Lilith decided to call "Hey!".

Lilith left the bags to her father and gave chase to the couple. She waved back at him after running a length and took off again. His hands were full and he couldn't run after her.

When Lilith caught sight of the couple again, they were rounding another corner. She sighed and ran after them again. The next time, they were walking near a stairway. Lilith managed to catch up and called his name. "Ichika Orimura!"

He turned around to see his caller and Lilith misstepped on the edge of the stairs. She reached out with her right arm and grabbed his hand then proceeded to fall down the stairs with him. The first time she hit the stairs, she hit the back of her head. An obvious concussion. The next time, her entire body's weight landed on her left arm, breaking it.

When all movement stopped, Ichika opened his eyes and found himself on top of Lilith and fairly unharmed. The same could not be said about his cushion. Ichika's hand was also on Lilith's breast and his hand sunk into her body as he tried to get up and he heavily blushed. But he quickly dismissed his embarrassment to focus on the situation at hand.

"What happened?! Is she okay?!" The girl called to Ichika.

"She… fell and dragged me with her. She's knocked out. But I think she's fine." Ichika called back. He moved his hand to the back of her head and felt a liquid in his hands. He looked at his hand and it was stained red. Her blood was in his hands. He immediately checked for a heartbeat and luckily found one. "Houki, she's still alive. We need to get her some help. Her arm's also kinda messed up. I think it's broken." The girl, Houki Shinonono, quickly ran down the stairs to meet him.

"Yeah, we definitely need help." She raised Lilith's head to look at the back of it. "That's gross. How did she know who you were?"

"I'm probably a bit famous. Being the first male IS pilot and all."

"Right. Kinda forgot about that. Now we need to figure out who she is. Anything in her pockets?" Houki patted down Lilith's hips for the pockets and found a phone in one of them. It was an older model. She opened up the emergency contacts and the first person on the list was labeled 'Father'. A man was near the top of the stairs that they had come from. Houki tapped the label and put the phone up to her ear. The man above reached into his pocket and put his phone to his ear. Houki hadn't noticed the man yet but heard his voice over the phone. "Lilith? Where are you?"

"Sir, my name is Houki. I have your daughter here and she's kinda injured." Ichika looked around and spotted the man above. He pointed him out to Houki who turned and looked up at him. "If you look down at the bottom of the stairs, that's where we are. Come down here so you can help." The man looked down, saw them, and hung up the phone. He put it in his pocket, grabbed some bags that he put down, and walked down the stairs.

The man sighed as he caught sight of Lilith. "What happened?"

"She fell and accidentally dragged me down with her," Ichika replied. "Is she your daughter?"

"She's my adopted daughter. Arm's broken and probably a concussion." He noted. "I'm a medic for the Arabian government."

"So can you help her?" Houki asked.

"You two are students at IS Academy, right? She was going to transfer there as a representative contender." As he was talking he pulled out a small medical box. He took out a roll of bandages and started wrapping it around her forehead. "It's just easier to get to the Academy and then complete the treatment. Let's do that." The girl's father started working on her arm. He turned toward Ichika. "You fell too, right? Are you hurt?"

"No, not really. I'm fine."

"Should we fly her to the Academy? You have to take a monorail to get there but this'll be much faster." Houki said.

"Yeah. Just make sure not to go too fast and keep her arm secure. I'll be there soon to speak to Miss Orimura."

"My sister?" Ichika asked.

"I just need to tell her about some things regarding Lilith. Let's get going."

Ichika and Houki deployed their IS units and took off with Lilith in Houki's arms. The man headed for the monorail and was able to get on with his government ID.


	2. Chapter 2

IS Academy

Following day

"You're awake now. Welcome to the IS Academy." He said. "Do you remember what happened?"

Lilith slowly shook her head due to the pain. "What happened?"

"You found me and Houki in town. But you took a fall down a bunch of stairs and broke your arm." She moved the sheet and looked at it. "Your father brought your stuff here and talked to my sister. Tell me if you ever need anything. I'm always willing to help."

"Okay." Her voice was quiet and gentle. Ichika turned to leave but she said, "Can you bring me something to eat?"

He replied with a smile and an "Of course!" before leaving. He closed the curtain behind him.

Lilith took a peek at the side of the bed. A few of the bags from her shopping trip were there. She reached into one of them and pulled out the blue scarf from before. She smiled at the sight of it. Her duffel bag was also by the bed. Lilith dug around in her duffel bag and also found her meds. There was also a note left by her father saying, "You'll need to put your arm in a cast. Good luck."

The sound of the door opening filled the room. "Hey, um, Miss? I'm back with the food." Ichika shook the curtains a bit before unveiling the bed. It was only then that Lilith knew what time it was. The sun wasn't shining through the windows and the room was only lit by ceiling lights. Ichika was there with a food tray. She couldn't see what was on it until he lowered the tray to her level. There, on the tray, was a plate of pasta gone cold. It was obvious when there wasn't any steam coming off of it. But food was food for the hungry. Ichika handed the tray to her as and she rested it on her broken arm, grunting in the process of setting it down. "Hopefully you like it. There wasn't really anything left at this hour."

"It's fine. Were people looking at you weird when you were walking around with a food tray?" Lilith asked. She grabbed the fork and started eating.

"I got a few looks. I had to tell one of my friends that there was someone in the Infirmary that hadn't eaten yet."

She smirked. "Do you think any of them will follow you in here? Or maybe there's one of them outside this very door?"

Houki was actually in the position that Lilith was talking about, being curious about Ichika's actions. She decided to reveal herself to both of them. "You're quite perceptive," Houki said before opening the curtains.

"Oh, Houki! You're here!" Ichika exclaimed.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"She hadn't eaten anything and asked me to bring her food. Anything wrong with that?"

"If she were anyone else, yes, there would be. But we were both there when she had her accident." Houki turned to Lilith who was enjoying her meal. "How's the arm? And your head?"

Lilith swallowed her bite. "Both of them hurt and I have a headache. Who are you?" She asked.

"Right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Houki Shinonono and I own a personal IS at this school. I hope that your arm heals quickly. I gotta go." Houki turned and left.

"What's with her?" Lilith asked.

"She's like that sometimes. It's been a bit rough for her for a while. I apologize for her behavior." Ichika said while bowing.

"No, it's fine." She finished her plate and handed it to him. "You should go. I think it's getting late. Do you mind calling the nurse over here? I need to put my arm in a cast."

"Yeah, no problem. Have a good night, 'kay?"

"I'll be fine. Can't really do much now." Ichika closed the curtain behind him and let the room. In the next half hour, the nurse came in the room and they got her arm set in a cast. Lilith was offered sleeping pills to help with her head but she decided she didn't need them. She didn't need sleeping pills in her nighttime life for the first time since the attack.

Lilith woke up the next morning and sat up in her bed. Off to the side, there was a fresh uniform on a coat hanger hanging on the curtain rod. It was mostly similar to the ones worn by everyone else but had blue trim instead of red. The miniskirt was also the same shade of blue. The blue was the exact shade as her scarf and she smiled when she realized it. Lilith put on the skirt and uniform, then a sling for her broken arm. She unbuttoned the shirt after finding it a bit uncomfortable with the cast under the sleeve. It was easier for her to have the arm in the sling across her chest under the shirt. To add a touch of personality, Lilith put the scarf on around her neck. After looking in the mirror and finding herself presentable, she headed out of the room for the first time.

And got lost quickly without any help so she went back to the Infirmary. She found the numbers of the teachers taped on a desk and called the one labeled "Maya Yamada".

Within seconds someone picked up the phone. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Um, hey. Do you mind coming down to the Infirmary to help me with something?"

"Sure. But who's calling?"

"I'm new here. Just come quickly. I don't like being alone."

"I'll be there soon." Maya had stepped out of Class 1-1 to take the call and went back in to inform Chifuyu.

The person that Lilith guessed was Maya stepped into the room. "Miss? You in here?" She was surprised to find the girl in uniform. "Never seen you before. My name's Maya Yamada, and I'm the assistant homeroom teacher for Class 1-1. What's your name?"

"I'm Lilith Arcadia, Representative Candidate of Arabia. I guess I need to get in a class, right?"

"I'll have to register you and then we can get you in a class."

They spent the next hour or so registering Lilith into the system. It was soon lunchtime so they went together to eat. After all, it would be risky to let her run around without any help. They ate together and some people stared at the girl in uniform who was eating with a teacher. Then they went to Class 1-1 where Lilith would be introduced.

"Hi everyone, I have an announcement to make." The class was in session and everyone was gathered. "A new student will be joining us. You may come on in now." Lilith came through the door on cue. "Introduce yourself."

"Um hi, everyone." She was kind of staring at the ground nervously. "My name is Lilith Arcadia. I'm a Representative Candidate from Arabia."


	3. Desert Tiger Combat Log 1

Desert Tiger Combat Log 1

A/N: I think that this is side series would also be fun. It shows some insight from the enemy's side. I was originally thinking about making it a separate series but this was just easier. You will be able to tell who this is very quickly.

August 14, 2004

I took out an entire mall today. I think I'm going insane. I don't even feel bad about killing all those people. Some little girl was crying a ways away from the mall. Maybe she lost some people important to her. I didn't kill her because I saw a bit of myself in her. I can feel myself dying inside. Maybe I'm a psychopath or something. My job is done here. I don't have any higher-ups telling me what to do. These were all my choices. Someone will get me eventually. I hope it's that girl.


	4. Explaining the World

To address the review given to me by On Soaring Wings: This isn't just for him but for all the readers. I myself am also an American and do not fully comprehend everything about the Arab States that I have written about. I never used the country Saudi Arabia on its own in the story. This is not a mistake as Lilith is from the Arab States but not Saudi Arabia itself. The Arab States will be mentioned as a whole as Arabia. As Lilith is from the Arab States, she will be Arabian. In this alternate universe, the Arab States are allowed one IS Core a year, granted to them by the British government, to minimize terrorism. The Arab States use Emirates as the region concerning any matters including the developments and research of Infinite Stratos. They used a building known as the Spire to house the IS wing. After the destruction of a mall caused by Allison Ross in the Desert Tiger, the third IS unit created in Arabia, the government rejected the IS cores from the British, to ensure that terrorism from an IS wouldn't happen again. In 2010, the Arab States decided to restart research and development of their IS units. Allison Ross had never appeared during that time and most likely lives outside the Arab States, where the government cannot take action. Due to lack of research, the IS units produced by the Arab States are not very strong and do not have sufficient enough power plants for continuous attack.

I thank you all for taking the time to read and understand this and the universe that I have created. Seeing how the Middle Eastern areas aren't mentioned much in the original story, I believe that I may have created a believable world that exists in their world. I do not own Infinite Stratos nor will I ever, but I just like the idea enough to write about it.


	5. Chapter 3

It was this moment that Lilith's appearance was revealed to the class. Slightly tan skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. She spoke with a mild Middle Eastern accent and her voice was gentle. Lilith was a bit nervous in front of the group and she stuttered when she spoke in Japanese.(The language while they are at the Academy will be Japanese as many of the students are from Japan. Lilith knows and speaks English and Arabic, but her Japanese is rough.) "Um hi, everyone." She was kind of staring at the ground nervously. "My n-name is Lilith Arcadia. I'm a R-representative Candidate from Arabia. I h-hope that you can all accept me and that we can all g-get along!" She ended her speech with a bow.

"You all should introduce yourselves to our new student at least sometime during the day. Do your best to make her feel at home!" Chifuyu declared. "There's an empty seat at the end of that row. Sit there." She told Lilith.

"Thank you Sensei." Lilith moved to the seat and sat down. _The other seats in this row are empty. I'm all alone again. Damn._ Lilith thought.

 _She's in our class._ Houki and Ichika thought.

The girl sitting in front of Lilith turned around in her seat and started talking to her. "Hi, my name's Honne Nohotoke but people call me Nohohon. You can call me that too."

Lilith smiled. _I'm not completely alone back here._ "Thanks, I'll try to remember that, Nohohon."

After the class period was over, Chifuyu approached Lilith with a paper in her hands. "Here." She handed it to her. "This is your dorm room number. Are they treating you well?"

"Nohohon is very nice. I'll be sure to move my things to my dorm."

"Go get lunch. After that we have IS training. Hope to see you in action."

Lilith went to the cafeteria and stood still with her food tray. She was searching for a good place to eat when she saw Houki and Ichika sitting with other girls in a booth. Lilith recognized them as others from their class who were sitting around Ichika's seat. She decided to go eat with the people she already knew. "Hi Ichika. And Miss Shinonono too."

"Hey Lilith. How was your first class?" Ichika asked.

"Wait, you two are already on a first name basis?" One of the girls asked. She was blonde with curly hair and spoke with a British accent.

"Yeah, we kinda know each other. I brought her food yesterday in the Infirmary." Ichika said.

"And you fed her?!"

"Relax, Cecilia, I know her too." Houki interrupted. "How's the arm?" She asked Lilith.

"It's okay. Not too bad. I put it in a cast. Can I eat with you too?" Lilith asked. "I don't really know anyone here."

A small Asian girl stood up. She had a slightly different uniform compared to the others and brown twin tails. "Then let me introduce myself. I'm Lingyin Huang but you can call me Rin. I'm the Representative Candidate from China. The one with silver hair is Laura Bodewig from Germany and the blonde is Charlotte Dunois from France."

"Ah, thanks. I'm Lilith Arcadia from Arabia."

Laura scoffed. "Since when did Arabia have ISs? How good could yours be?" Her German accent was very present. She also had a black eye patch over her left eye.

"Hey, don't be rude like that to her. She's new." Charlotte said. "I'm very sorry about her."

"Actually I don't know how my IS is. I haven't been able to test it." Lilith said.

"What?!" everyone around was surprised.

"I have the summoner right here though. I have also piloted others for compatibility reasons." Lilith held up a keyring that had several small accessories on it. "I heard that our class has IS training next so you'll see me there. Sensei gave me this paper that has my dorm number on it." She held up the paper. "Can you help me with it?" She asked Houki.

Houki took the paper and looked at it. She read the dorm number to herself and said, "That's my room. Guess we're roommates now."

"Really? That's cool! I get to be with someone I already know!"

"I'll help you with your stuff after we're done eating. I don't really think that there's that much room left here though."

"Can I sit down and eat with you?"

"Sorry, but there doesn't seem to be any room left here." Laura said.

"Then she can just pull up a chair." Charlotte said. "Right?"

"Yeah, let me find one." Lilith started to go find a chair but didn't get very far. She still had her tray in hand.

"No wait, let me help you. You can have my seat and I'll take the chair." Ichika said. "You just put your food down and start eating." Ichika went off to find a chair for himself instead of Lilith. Lilith took his seat and placed her tray on the table. She took the first bite of her food and started talking.

"Ichika is very nice right?"

"Why is he so nice to you? That's what I don't get." Rin said.

"To be honest, Lilith's broken arm was kinda caused by him so he probably feels guilty." Houki said.

"Woah, what?!" everyone exclaimed. Houki had to explain what happened to Lilith now that the story was out. Lilith was calmly eating her lunch while Houki was talking. "I can't believe that happened to you!" Rin exclaimed.

"My arm's just a bit trashed. Nothing to worry much about."

"Just a bit? It's broken! You should worry more about yourself!" Charlotte cried. Her face was showing that she was genuinely worried. "Are you sure that your head's really okay? Here let me see." Charlotte turned Lilith around to look at her head wound. The bandage was bloody and damp where the wound was. "My God! Please take care of yourself better!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks for worrying."

Ichika returned with a chair and sat down. "You girls getting along?"

"Ichika you idiot! Miss Lilith here has been wounded by you!" Cecilia said.

"Yes and I'm really sorry about her injuries. That's why I got the chair instead of her with her broken arm." Ichika said. He leaned over and gave Lilith a small hug. "I'm still sorry about your injuries."

"You don't need to keep bringing it up. It's fine. It's not the first time I've broken that arm. I prefer having my dominant hand like we all would." Lilith didn't seem to really be fazed by Ichika's hug. Over her shoulder, Ichika could see the other girls getting jealous. He quickly released his hug and returned to his seat.

Ichika cleared his throat. "Sorry, I'll stop bringing it up if you want."

"And stop apologizing, let's just restart our relationship."

"Sorry… wait crap… we should just restart, like you said."

The other girls around the table giggled and laughed. "I'm done with this. Houki, can we get my stuff to the room?" Lilith asked.

"Sure. I'll lead you there. Let's go." The two of them stood up from the table and left the cafeteria.

They stopped by the Infirmary to grab Lilith's things and then went to Houki's room to drop them off. "You lived here alone?"

"Yeah. It wasn't bad being alone at night." Houki said. She went over her wooden katana on a stand to polish it.

"Hope you really don't mind me being here, then."

"I really don't. I used to be roommates with Ichika but that changed quickly. Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure." Lilith was sitting on her new bed.

Houki said the next words in a low voice. "I don't want to offend you but how bad is terrorism in Arabia? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Lilith took a second to answer. "Terrorism is actually at an all-time low. The biggest thing that happened was 8 years ago… that was the day…" Her voice trailed off and she started to space out. Houki almost immediately realized what she had done to Lilith.

"You don't have to say anymore. Let's just get to the stadium for IS training. The bell's gonna ring soon."

IS Stadium

"So, where's this IS that Arabia has developed?" Laura asked. She and a few others in the class were waiting impatiently waiting for Lilith and Houki.

"Quiet down, idiots." Chifuyu said. "They'll be here just because they have class. Not to fight you." Houki and Lilith showed up a few minutes later. "Why exactly are you two late?" Chifuyu asked.

"We were moving her things to our room and had a little heart to heart." Houki said.

"We're very sorry for being late, Sensei." Lilith said. "We just happened to lose track of time."

"I'm still marking you two late. Get suited up. Shinonono, please show her the way to the locker room."

"Yes ma'am." Houki said. She looked at Lilith. "Come on." Houki led her off to the locker room to get changed.

Houki helped her change out of her uniform top because the cast made it hard to do it on her own. "I don't know if I should use my IS." Lilith said. "It would be better to just not use it since the arm unit isn't fitted properly to a cast." Without anything on, Houki was able to see all of Lilith. She saw a multitude of scars riddling her body but decided against questioning her about it.

"At least deploy it to show it to the class. They all want to know what it looks like." Houki was helping Lilith don her combat uniform, a piece of clothing similar to a one piece swimsuit, and covered up the most of the scars.

"Yeah, I guess. It's just unfortunate that I broke my arm before coming here." Lilith made sure to leave the sling for her arm and her scarf in a locker with her clothes. Houki started changing on her own and did it far faster than Lilith. "You ready?" Lilith made sure to grab her IS summoner.

"Yeah. Let's get back out there." With that, they left the locker room together.

The other Representative Candidates were already using their ISs and were in the air. There was one other, but wasn't as iconic and was piloted by one of the other students from the class. Lilith assumed that it was the training IS. Houki summoned her own IS, the red Akatsubaki. "Sorry you can't join us." Houki said.

"It's fine. I'll just be here… alone…" Lilith trailed off. She noticed that Chifuyu and Maya were still on the ground. "Nevermind, I'll be with Sensei." She walked over to her teachers.

"You gonna get in the air too?" Chifuyu asked.

"Honestly, I haven't even used this one yet. There wasn't enough time for me to test it back home."

"You make it sound like you had to be here by a certain time."

"Do I? No, they were just making all the adjustments up to the day I left. But I still haven't used it before."

"Then let's see it. The reason that got you here."

Lilith looked behind her and pulled out her keychain. She opened it and let the trinkets fall to the ground. "By the count of seven, an IS will appear, the one known as Seven Swords!" The last object hit the ground and it was a sword. All of them were. "Who am I kidding, I don't need to say anything." She chuckled.

An IS appeared on her. The main color was a tan the same shade as the desert sand but with blue accents. The other classmates quickly gathered around the newest addition to the school. The only piece missing was the armor for the left arm. "Looks impressive enough." Chifuyu said with her arms crossed. "Weapons?"

"I'll get them." Lilith opened a holographic window in front of her with her hands and started scrolling through a list. The only thing was a katar with a blue handle that she equipped in her right hand. On the weapons list, the other six weapons were greyed out. A timer appeared on a separate screen that they all noticed. It was set for 20 seconds.

"Um Miss Orimura, are you sure that it's a good idea to have her in an IS so soon?" Maya asked. "Her arm has only just been broken."

"We'll have to see what the doctors say about it. But unless it stops her from doing anything, I'll allow it."

Lilith stored the katar in a holster on her right hip. The timer hit zero and then reset itself and the second weapon ungreyed itself. Lilith selected it and a short sword with a blade the length of her forearm appeared. She stored it on the other side of her hip. "What's with the timer?" Houki swooped in with her IS.

"Due to lack of research, it doesn't have a high enough power plant to create all the weapons at the same time." Lilith replied.

"That's bad. Do you have any guns or ranged weapons?"

Lilith paused before answering. "I hate guns. This IS is made not to have those."

"So you're a close combat fighter like me and Ichika."

"I guess." The timer continued its cycle and hit zero once again. The third weapon ungreyed itself in the list and Lilith tapped it. This one was a longsword with a blade the entire length of her arm. The other Representative Candidates landed and walked over to the two.

"So that's the IS of Arabia." Rin said.

"Seems a bit dated and old school." Laura insulted.

Charlotte laughed nervously. "Nonsense, don't listen to her Lilith. I think that your IS is quite beautiful in its own way."

"Thanks Charlotte." Lilith said.

"I agree with Charlotte, it still looks nice for being an older model." Ichika said. The other classmates tried to get their own questions in.

"How high can it fly?"

"How fast is it?"

"Do you like this school?"

"What are your feelings about Ichika?"

"What?" Ichika interjected.

"Ichika, do you think that Miss Arcadia is pretty?"

"What?!" Ichika's main harem cried.

Lilith was blushing and her face was turning bright red. "Ichika, do you think I'm… pretty?"

Ichika blushed and looked at his other girls. They all had anger written on their faces. He could hear what they were thinking. _Be careful, Ichika. Don't make yourself sound like an idiot._ He cleared his throat and looked directly at Lilith. "Yes, I do think you're pretty, Lilith." The entire class squealed at his response. Lilith held her cheeks and felt their heat.

Her IS disappeared and she ran up to Ichika, said "I think you don't look half bad yourself, Ichika,"and planted a kiss on his cheek. The class squealed again. Lilith felt the world spinning around her as her lips Saturday on his soft cheek. _Is this what love feels like? I actually don't feel too good right now. I'm getting... dizzy._ Lilith suddenly fell forward but was caught in Ichika's arms. He felt her forehead with the back of his hand and was surprised.

"Lilith? She's burning up right now guys!" Ichika cried.

"Oh Ichika…" Lilith trailed off. Her vision blurred and the last thing she saw was the crowd gathering around them. Their voices were hazy as Ichika set her down on the floor.

"Lilith?"

"You'll be okay."

"Ichika, get her to the Infirmary!"

"Yes ma'am."

Lilith felt herself being lifted off the ground and being carried. _I'll be fine like they said. But what's happening to me? A fever?_


	6. Chapter 4

Lilith opened her eyes and felt her forehead with her right hand. There was a damp cloth on it. _This is the Infirmary again._ _I guess I do have a fever._ Her clothes were folded off to the side and her sling was on top of it. _Thanks, Houki._ She got out of bed, changed into her uniform and equipped her sling.

After she was done, Lilith left the Infirmary and headed back to her room. Houki was already there but ready to leave for something. "Oh hey, you're okay," Houki said.

"Where are you going?"

"I was gonna help Ichika train more with his IS. You should get some rest. We were all worried about you when you collapsed."

"I don't even really remember it much. I think that I kissed Ichika on the cheek?" Lilith wondered.

"That kinda happened. You caused quite the drama with that one." Houki went to the door to leave. "You should take a bath and then a nap or something. I don't think you've done that yet here, right?"

"Yeah. Can I use your shampoo and stuff?" Lilith asked. "I didn't bring any of my own."

"Sure. Just try to get your own whenever you can. I'll be back by dinner so I'll wake you up if you want."

"Thanks. You're a good roommate, you know that?"

Houki laughed. "Get some rest." She said before leaving the room.

Lilith set her scarf and sling down on her bed and then went into the bathroom for her shower.

After she got out of the shower and dressed herself in pajamas, Lilith decided to take Houki's advice and take a nap. She realized that her hair now smelled like Houki's bed and that was from the shampoo. Disregarding that, she went to her own bed and pulled the sheets over her body. Before falling asleep, Lilith looked at the clock. _It's 4:52 right now. That gives me about an hour to nap. And Houki said she'll be back to wake me up for dinner._ Lilith yawned. _Sucks that I got sick._

"Hey, it's time for dinner. Lilith. Get up." Lilith slowly woke up and saw Houki sitting on her bed. "You feeling any better?" Houki's hand touched Lilith's forehead. "You're still burning up." Lilith groaned.

"How're you doing?" Ichika said as he approached the bed. Lilith blushed when she saw him.

"I'm… fine…" Lilith pulled her sheets farther up her body. _Why am I so nervous? It can't just be because I'm sick._

"It's dinner time. You need to eat. You won't get better if you skip meals, you know." Houki said.

"Fine… Ichika get out."

"What? Why?"

"A girl needs to change in privacy."

"Oh, right. I'll just wait for you out there then." Ichika said. He left the room and the door shut behind him.

Lilith slowly removed the covers from over her body and swung her legs to the side of the bed. "I'm so tired… can't you guys just bring me something instead?"

"You need to get out and walk a bit. It'll calm down the others too cause they don't know what happened to you. Charlotte is really worried already."

Lilith sighed. "Fine…" She took off her pajamas and revealed navy blue lingerie. Lilith quickly replaced her clothes with her uniform and skirt. Her scarf and sling went on top because she was feeling lazy.

"Ready?" Houki asked.

"Yeah. We're good."

Houki and Lilith left their room and found Ichika patiently waiting outside. The three of them started going to the cafeteria, with Houki and Ichika in front and Lilith tiredly following behind. After reaching the cafeteria, they found their other friends already sitting in the booth. Lilith sat down and rested her head on the table. Charlotte touched her forehead. "Lilith, you're still burning up!"

"Ichika, just get me something light. I don't want too much." Lilith said.

"You got it."

"Are you feeling any better now?" Rin asked.

"Not really. Hopefully, it'll go away in a few days." Lilith said. Her mouth was behind her forearms on the table.

"I was hoping to challenge your IS in combat this afternoon, but seeing as it doesn't have an able pilot, I had to settle for one of the other people," Laura said.

"I swear, I'm fine… in my IS I mean…"

Ichika returned with a bowl of chicken noodle soup for Lilith. "Here." He set the bowl in front of her and placed a spoon inside.

"What is this?"

"Chicken soup. Have you never had it before?"

"It looks a bit different than what I remember. Guess it's different here." She raised her head and took the spoon in her hand. She slowly sipped the warm soup and let it fill her mouth. Lilith swallowed the soup and said, "That's not bad."

"People usually drink that soup when they are sick, so I thought it would be perfect for you."

"Thanks." Lilith continued drinking her soup while the others ate their meals. She finished the soup quite quickly. "I'm gonna go back to my room. Enter quietly or something, Houki. I'm too tired for this crap."

"Oh… okay." Houki said. Lilith stood up from the table and got out of the booth. She made her way to the exit and back to her dorm.

Lilith opened the door to her room and took a few tired steps inside before her eyes closed and her limp body hit the ground. She was asleep before she even got to her bed.

Houki left the cafeteria and went back to her room a half hour later. The door slid open and the light from the hall lit Lilith's body. "Lilith!" She crouched down to inspect her. _She's still fine. I'll just put her in bed._

Houki removed Lilith's sling and scarf before picking her up. She put Lilith in her bed and pulled the covers over her. _She's out cold. I can just take a shower and then sleep._ Lilith's hair was covering her face and Houki moved it out of the way. She smiled at her face. _She's cute. But isn't she 14? Isn't that a bit too young to be here? Whatever._

Houki showered, got dressed in her pajamas, and then got into her own bed. It wasn't long before she fell asleep herself.


	7. Chapter 5

In the middle of the night, Houki awoke to the sound of her roommate's whimpering. She tiredly moved to Lilith's bed and heard what she was saying.

"No… please no… not again… don't do it… mom… dad…" Lilith's voice was slowly rising. Houki climbed on top of Lilith and tried shaking her but she wouldn't wake.

Lilith's Dream

Lilith was surrounded by only darkness until she walked and came across a door. She opened the door and it opened to a street that she recognized. "No… not again…" Lilith said to herself. She'd had this recurring dream occasionally. She could remember every single detail as if she was looking at it with her own eyes. She looked to her left and saw a young girl walking back to a large building. A mall. _The_ mall where it all happened.

"She's… me… no…" Lilith ran forward to grab her younger self. She carried the girl over her shoulder and ran away. She didn't want to see it happen over and over again. "Whatever you do, don't look! Look down at the ground!" She yelled at the girl who was bouncing on her shoulder.

Lilith took them both behind a building to hide. _It's gonna happen… now!_ An enormous explosion shook the ground and blew dust and debris past her. And only her. Lilith looked to her side and the little girl was gone. She ran back to the site and found the girl lying on her back. That was the day she almost died. The girl was breathing heavily and staring at the decimated mall. The girl started crying and calling for her parents that could never respond. "Mom!... Dad!... No…"

Then both of them looked up at an object in the sky. A tan colored person was in the sky wearing a similarly colored mechanical armor. A first model IS. Then its pilot looked straight at the little girl. Lilith's scream went through to reality and she screamed there as well.

"NOOOOOOO!" The scream surprised Houki and Lilith's eyes jolted open. Houki looked into her eyes and saw the look of true fear in them. Lilith was panting and shoved her roommate aside. Then she rolled over and started going through her bags on the side on the bed.

"What happened? What are you looking for?" Houki asked.

"My… meds…" Lilith pulled out a bottle of pills from the bag. Her hands were shaking as she poured out two pills into her left hand. She immediately shoved them into her mouth and followed them down with several gulps of water. She spilled some water on her bed in the process. Houki turned on the lamp so a soft glow lit the room. "Dammit…"

After sitting in silence for a while, Houki decided to comfort her. "A nightmare?"

"Yeah…"

"Your bed's all wet. Wanna sleep in mine with me? I'm here for you no matter what."

"Okay…" Lilith got out of her bed and into Houki's. They were facing away from each other until Houki rolled over. She noticed that Lilith's hands were cold and shaking so she held them in her own.

She didn't really know how to comfort her but she tried her best. Houki moved closer and hugged her around the waist. "It was just a dream. It's not real. None of it really happened. You'll be fine…" Houki repeated over and over to Lilith. Lilith couldn't take it anymore and turned to faced her. Countless tears were in her eyes and her face was damp. She wrapped her arms around Houki's body and started sobbing uncontrollably with her head on her shoulder.

"It _did_ happen… it all happened to me… it _was_ real… I'm not fine, Houki…"

It eventually become 3:23 in the morning when Lilith and Houki fell asleep. Houki had to be up for class in four hours.

7:02 in the morning and Houki got up for her morning routine. "Lilith, do you want to skip class today? I can share my notes from class with you if you want. I'll tell Sensei that you don't feel good." Lilith only moaned in response. Houki felt Lilith's forehead with her hand. "You're still burning up." Houki opened the door and spoke again before leaving. "Take care of yourself until I'm back during lunch. I'll bring you something if you don't want to leave."

"Last night…" Lilith said quietly. "Was I talking in my sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Forget everything I said. It's all irrelevant. But if you want, I'll explain my history to you."

"You don't have to talk about it. Get some rest." Houki walked out the door and locked it.

Lilith couldn't help feeling a strange feeling about that dream that she never realized: There were three versions of her in her dream.

Class 1-1

"Lilith Arcadia?" Maya was calling attendance. "Not here on her second day?"

"No ma'am." Houki replied. "She really wasn't feeling well. Hopefully she'll be good by lunch."

"Alright. Laura Bodewig?"

"Here."

Attendance continued on and Chifuyu approached Houki. "Alright, what happened last night?"

"Ma'am?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You don't just show up and then skip the next day. So what happened last night?" Chifuyu demanded.

Houki noticed that people were staring because the teacher was right in front of her. "Can we take this outside?"

"Fine. Hallway, now." They both went into the hallway and Chifuyu made sure the door was closed. "Explain. I'll listen without interrupting."

"She was extremely troubled by a nightmare. It kept us both awake for most of the night. I tried to comfort her but she looked so afraid. She _was_ afraid. I tried to tell her that it wasn't really real but she said that it was. She's in my bed right now because she spilled water all over her bed while trying to take meds." Houki stopped talking and Chifuyu took her turn.

"Okay. Just make sure that she's okay. We need to make sure that she has a good impression of our school."

"I will."

"And back in we go." Chifuyu opened the door and they stepped back into class. She whispered something to Maya and Maya left the room.

Lilith's Room

Maya was outside of Lilith's room and in front of the door. "Lilith? Are you awake?" Chifuyu had asked her to check on her. "Lilith?" She knocked on the door. The only response she heard was a slight moan. "You wanna open the door? We can talk about it."

"I don't want to…" came a soft reply.

"Just open up. It'll be just you and me. It'll be good for you to talk about it instead of keep it in. I won't tell anyone." The lock clicked a few seconds later and Maya opened the door. Her eyes had to adjust to the darkness. The curtains were drawn and there was a body laying in bed on its side. "Lilith? You okay?" Maya approached the empty bed and sat down. The door automatically closed behind her. "Why's it so dark in here?"

"I don't wanna do anything. I just didn't open the curtains when the sun came up." Lilith mumbled.

"What's got you down?" Maya asked.

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"Well I can't leave until I figure something out with you. Orders from Miss Orimura. So you might as well talk about it."

Lilith sighed. "Fine. It was a bad dream in the middle of the night."

"You should turn around. It'll make this easier." Maya turned on the lamp in the middle of the room to provide a little light. Lilith did what she was told and looked her in the eye. "Oh God, your eyes are all red. How bad of a dream was it?"

"It was more of a flashback. 8 years ago, my parents were involved in a terrorist attack. They died in a mall that was destroyed by an IS. I was there when it went down but I wasn't inside. The pilot of that IS stared at me and only me before flying away. I could have died then and I probably should have. But I didn't. I was adopted by my current father days after the event."

Maya listened carefully to all of this. "I'm sorry to hear about that. And now, you're a Representative Candidate for Arabia with your own IS. Do you think you'll ever find the one who killed them?"

"When I do, I'll finally avenge my parents."

"Are you just here to become strong enough to defeat her? You really shouldn't be here if that's all you want to do."

"I have respect for everyone here and whatever reasons they are here. I'm not just here to kill her."

"I understand your reason for not being in class. I hope to see you either before lunch or after. Rest up, I know that you're tired. And maybe open the curtains just a bit."

Maya turned to leave but was stopped by Lilith. "Please don't leave me alone… I hate being alone… it scares me…"

Even though her talking about avenging her parents made her seem older, this made Maya see that she was after all, just a kid. She turned back to her and saw small tears forming in her eyes. "Fine, I won't go. I'll stay with you for a bit longer." She hugged Lilith. "You're here now. We'll be your new family and friends. You won't be alone whenever you're here." Lilith hugged her back and started sobbing.

"Thank you Sensei… I can't do it without you…"

Maya patted her on the back. "You'll be okay… I'll stay with you for a while…"

Maya soon left Lilith's room after she fell asleep. She made sure to cover her with the blanket. Maya went back to the classroom and was greeted by Chifuyu. "Any luck?"

Maya shook her head. "I just put her back to bed. She's asleep now and will probably be awake by lunch."

"At least we know how she's doing."


	8. Chapter 6

After class let out for lunch, Houki and Charlotte went to visit Lilith. Houki was surprised when the door opened and they saw Lilith sitting at the desk using the computer. "Oh, you're up! Feeling better?" Houki asked. Charlotte moved to feel Lilith's forehead and was relieved.

"Yeah, I feel great!" Lilith said cheerfully. "Guess I just needed some good rest."

"That was fast. Come on, let's get lunch." Charlotte said.

"Okay!" Lilith stood up from her chair and patted down her uniform. She moved to the door and they followed. "Let's go!" The other two shrugged and followed her out the door.

"She seems so different from last night. How does that happen?" Charlotte asked Houki.

"I… have no idea. We should just go with it."

Charlotte nodded. "She's just… so energetic now."

After eating lunch and surprising everyone, Lilith went to the stadium to tune her IS. She summoned the Seven Swords on herself like she did before. The wings were smaller than those of the more modern units that the other Candidates used, due to not being made for higher altitude. The tan color of it allowed it to blend in with the dirt in the stadium. _How high can I fly?_ Lilith wondered. _IS was designed for space. But now we don't even get to space. It all happens down here. If the powerplant isn't enough to make all the weapons at the same time then not using them will let me fly longer. I'll try it._

The wings opened up and Lilith looked at the sky. _Hopefully I'm not wrong._ She made the motion of flying and she took off. Lilith had an altimeter open while going for vertical flight. _400 feet… 1000… 2500…_ she read. _4000 feet… 6000…_ her acceleration was beginning to slow. _7000… 7900… 8600… 9100 feet… no… I don't have enough power! I have to hit 10,000 feet! At least! Please! Seven Swords, don't fail me! I'll do it! 9700… 9900… 10,032! Yes!_ _9800… no!_ The thrusters were giving out. They stopped working and sputtered back on. _9600 feet!_ Lilith was falling at this point. A warning appeared on the side. Lilith read it. _Insufficient power?!_ The warning and altimeter suddenly disappeared and Lilith was lucky the entire IS didn't go too. _Shit!_

 _How long would it take to build enough power just to slow my descent? I'll need to time it in the right spot._ Lilith could see the ground coming up fast. The Seven Swords was going into reboot but that would take too long. It was impossible to move the wings or move anything at all. Lilith guessed that she was at about 4300 feet now. _I guess I'm done for… not being able to avenge my parents… I'll join them soon._

Someone with walked into the stadium and Lilith tried to call out to them. "HEY! UP HERE!" The girl summoned an IS, a white and turquoise model. She looked up and saw the falling Lilith.

The girl seemed to use water to form a barrier to catch her. Lilith fell into the surface at terminal velocity and went through it after a split second. Her speed was reduced to the point where she would be fine but still hit the ground on her IS's back wings. The girl quickly rushed over to her. "Hey, are you okay? Hey!" Lilith was in a daze and couldn't get over the fact that she was still alive. "Hey, say something!"

Lilith's IS disappeared back into her pocket and she was left on the dirt. Lilith sat up slowly and noticed a trickling feeling going down the back of her neck. Her head wound had opened. She felt it with her right hand and looked at her bloodstained hand. The girl grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her lightly. "Say something! Are you okay?"

Lilith opened her mouth to talk but said nothing. Instead, Lilith hugged the girl.

"Oh…" The girl hugged her back.

"Thank you… thank you…"

"You're bleeding. We should get to the Infirmary."

"What's your name?"

"I'm Tatenashi Sarashiki, second year and president of the student council. I don't believe I've met you yet."

"I… I'm…" Lilith's eyes were closing and everything she heard was muffled. She was starting to blackout.

"We need to get to the Infirmary right now! Don't pass out!"

Lilith's eyes closed and she was out.

Tatenashi took her to the Infirmary and was greeted by the school nurse. "Ah, Miss Sarashiki. Why do you have Lilith there? Did she hurt herself again?"

"Yes, this time she was in her IS. Her head started bleeding." Tatenashi replied.

"Oh, her head wound must've opened. You can set her down over there." The nurse gestured to the same bed that Lilith had slept in when she first got to the Academy. Tatenashi laid Lilith down there and closed the curtains around the bed.

"I noticed that her arm was broken but I didn't know about her head. How did that happen?" Tatenashi asked. The nurse spent the next few minutes explaining the story Houki and Ichika had told her. "May I make a request for her well being?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Please ban her from using her IS until she has fully recovered. I don't want her hurting herself further until her wounds have healed."

"I understand your concern for her as Student Council President and how you care for all students. I will accept your request and I'll make the recommendation to Miss Orimura. Thanks for bringing her in."

"Of course. Thanks for taking care of her. I have other things to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave." Tatenashi turned and left. The school nurse made a note on her table to call Chifuyu when Lilith awoke.

Lilith woke up and found a fresh bandage wrapped around her head. She was soon greeted by Chifuyu. "Ah, Sensei. Why are you here?" She asked.

"You fell from 10,000 feet and reopened your head wound. Why else would I be here?"

"You have a point."

"Give me your IS summoner."

"What?"

"I'm confiscating it until you are fully recovered. Hand it over." Chifuyu commanded. Lilith reached into her pocket and pulled out the keychain. Chifuyu held her hand out and Lilith dropped it in. "Thank you."

"Who saved me?"

"Our Student Council President, Tatenashi Sarashiki."

"Name sounds familiar."

Chifuyu thought that it was time to go. "Alright, get some rest here and then get back to your room. Expect visitors." She turned and left, closing the curtains behind her.


End file.
